The teaching and motivation of toddlers and young children is a subject of much attention in patent and general literature. In particular, numerous writings, devices, techniques, aides and kits have been proposed to assist children, parents (or other caregivers), or both, with the toilet training process. Examples of such offerings include potty training pants which can be disposable pant like garments designed to be pulled up or down by a child. These products have been described in the art as incorporating a wide variety of training enhancing features such as wetness indicating graphics, feel-wet liners, alarms, and similar features.
Additionally, various instructional and motivational aides and devices have also been described in the art. Examples of such devices are toilets which have lights or sound devices. Other motivational or instructional aides include scenes upon which reward stickers can be placed such as those described in U.S. Patent Application 2003/0054326. Self contained kits housing a variety of toilet training related products have also been proposed such as the kit described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,382. This kit combines training pants in combination with an activity device in a container having partitions.
While the kits, devices, and aides described in the prior art do serve motivational and training purposes, they are incomplete in several important respects. For the most part, kits such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,382 have focused solely on the toilet using aspect of potty training. Thus, the patent describes training pants, and interactive aides intended to encourage, motivate and reward behaviors such as pulling off clothing, urination, defecation, and pulling clothing back on. Similarly, the aides of U.S. Patent Application 2003/0054326 are general, including kit friendly scenes such as clouds and sky. Parents are instructed to allow children pre-determined numbers of stickers as rewards for such behavior as sitting on the potty, urination, and defecation. One embodiment suggests one, two, and three stickers for each of these activities. What is missing from these prior art attempts at improving the training process is a comprehensive aide which instructs, motivates, and rewards children in all aspects of successfully using the potty. Such aspects include more than the excretion function itself, and should also include related hygiene tasks such as wiping, and hand washing.
Entering the bathroom and successfully completing all of the hygiene related tasks associated with using the toilet can be a challenging and complicated process for a young child. Children of the toilet training age typically have short attention spans, and may have difficulty remembering the details and sequence of new and complex tasks. A need exists to help young children learn and be positively motivated and reinforced on information directed to a plurality of hygiene tasks associated with toilet training.